Home
by riveriver
Summary: A short one-shot from the time when Mickey is left on Parallel Earth - Pete's World - until the Doctor takes Rose home to Jackie at the end of The Age of Steel. I wrote on impulse - it's no masterpiece.


**AN:** I wish I did, but I own nothing. I'm merely one Ten/Rose shipper out of millions. This is my first Doctor Who fic - be gentle.

FYI, I'm not that much of a techie when it comes to the TARDIS, so if you think that something has been described that would never happen, let me know, and we'll discuss it. If you think the Doctor or Rose are OOC, again, let me know, and we'll talk.

This may seem rushed, but as you've probably already read, I wrote this on an impulse after watching a re-run of the episode and I didn't want to lose the idea and become unable to convey the emotions without making the Doctor and Rose's relationship more outspoken than it should be. However, I can't quite capture the beauty of it like Davies does.

* * *

_Good ol' Mickey_. The Doctor swung his long coat out in front of him, giving it the once-over in case the idiot had lied about the absence of creases. As the lock clicked together, the door securing, he looked up, and his smile faded, just as he knew it would do when Rose finally came back to him, sobbing her way through that door. "Rose?"

She gasped for breath, her brave face crumpling now the TARDIS door had made a creaky close. Her shoulders shook with the effort of keeping herself upright – or was that her hysterics? Rose couldn't figure it out. She couldn't even pinpoint her reason for crying.

She tried.

Mickey was gone. Mickey had Gran. Mickey was staying, and what was worse, she was leaving him.

But he was right. She had the Doctor, and it was just them. Her Doctor and her, together, flying through the stars. She thought she did, but she didn't need Mickey. Mickey the idiot.

The Doctor slammed the bicycle pump down twice and with his foot, he lifted the lever. The coat was now irrelevant, slung over the back of the chair. In a matter of seconds he had leapt to the side and pushed on another what's-it, sending the TARDIS in the vortex and back where they all belonged. All except Mickey.

Rose leant onto the railing now, still trembling. Slowly, she was pulled away from it and brought into the Doctor's arms, which only made her cry harder. He was tentative in his movements but stood firm as Rose applied pressure to use him to keep herself in one piece.

"I want.." Breathe, shake, and sob again. "I want to go home."

The Doctor's hands travelled down her back and they untied the apron that hung around her waist. It dropped to the floor, freeing her somewhat as he then tried to gently lead her away from the ramp. Was this it? Had he finally pushed her too far? Was this the snap he had been waiting for, the moment where she turned and ran?

"I'll take you," he said as he put his face against the top of her head, still bringing her away. "As long as you come and sit down. Come on."

Rose fought for air again, but she allowed her feet to pick up and move.

It was worse now that they were gone, as was her dad. She had found him and seen him die over and over and then she had saved him, and then she had watched him die again, even held him as he slipped away. Then, by what she couldn't class as pure chance, she had once more stumbled across Pete Tyler but watched him go. Alive and walking away, but still going. Leaving her.

She became quieter and quieter as she made peace with reason: she had made her choice, and though she had never been forced to face it like she had now, the decision had long been made.

The Doctor, half-glad that he hadn't changed into his suit, felt her stiffen against him and freed his fingers from her hair. Rose blew out a long breath which tickled him, and sat up.

"Sorry." She smiled, but it didn't fool him.

He gave her a long searching look, his hands coming to either side of her face. He didn't nod until her eyes found his. "It's okay."

Rose steadied herself and leant her side into the chair, making him fall with her. She was breathing heavily, and tears could form no more, but the pain still lingered. She tucked stray, damp hair behind her ears and closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of the forgotten coat in an attempt to calm down and remind herself that all was not lost. Nobody had died.

So why did it feel like she was mourning for somebody - two people, in fact - that she had grieved over so many times already?

The Doctor stayed for a few minutes before deeming it safe to stand. He activated the ship's shields and made sure that they were going to be doing nothing more than spinning through the time vortex while trying to remember the last time he had dealt with a breakdown and sat around awkwardly like that, waiting for the wave to pass. But, Rose... Oh, Rose. He would do it a thousand times over. He continued to watch her even as he used and dropped the mallet he had smashed against the keyboard to get them through the crack in time and seal it.

"I can't have Jackie Tyler thinking I've forced you into slave labour." He picked Rose's bag up and slung it over his shoulder, holding out his other hand. "We have to dress like normal people before we go home."


End file.
